


Missing Puzzle Piece

by vintagekyu



Category: TREASURE (Korea Band), YG Treasure Box (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Eventual Fluff, Friendship/Love, HaJeongwoo, Jeongwoo is Haruto's anchor, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Profanity, alternative universe, finding closure, healing together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29037891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vintagekyu/pseuds/vintagekyu
Summary: Haruto’s hurt. The kind of hurt that keeps you up at night. The kind of hurt that breaks your soul; breaks you till you’re left shattered, in piecesbut Jeongwoo doesn’t mind, clenching onto his hand and expecting nothing in return.
Relationships: Park Jeongwoo/Watanabe Haruto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ:  
> Not recommended for anyone that is triggered by the mentions of Depression!
> 
> It's implied that Haruto has passive suicidal ideation, but nothing graphic will be mentioned. If this might be triggering for you, please don't read this story. Stay safe!
> 
> DISCLAIMER:  
> This story is purely fictional. The characters depicted in this story don't represent the artists' personalities, and everything in this story is entirely just a product of my imagination. 
> 
> I just had to say that before we start the story ^^ now please enjoy <3

Haruto wasn’t always broken. 

He was once a happy child living in a stable home. He had lots of hobbies, such as playing football; a sport he severely sucked at, but that didn’t stop him from challenging the High schoolers to a match every Saturday. 

Football was something he played for the jokes and laughs, but what he took truly took pride in was playing the piano. In fact, he was a phenomenal pianist who won many awards, trophies, and certificates that most could only dream of. Maybe he could have been something special, a veteran even, but life got in his way, and if he learned one thing about life in his sixteen years, it was that it’s unpredictable.

* * *

When Haruto was ten his family fell apart. It started as arguments that would keep him and his sister Niko awake at night, the younger often coming in his room for comfort. Then they got violent, throwing chairs and ripping hair. It was a scary experience for any child to go through, with Haruto feeling the need to protect his sister, and sometimes, for someone to protect him too. Some nights were worse than others, the police being notified of “suspicious screaming.’ Fortunately for Haruto’s parents, they were pathological manipulators and liars. 

On such nights the children were restless from dusk till dawn, making pretend as if they were simply ‘pulling an all nighter to watch their favorite movies.’

* * *

One day their parents sat them down with the premise of telling them life changing news. Haruto wasn’t much interested, but he sat down and listened to humor them. He could have never guessed that this day, a day much like any other, was the day his family would split apart. 

“We’ve decided to part ways” replayed in his mind for what felt like eternity, only being pulled out of his trance when Niko entered his room, visibly distressed and tear stains on her new sweater. He still remembers as clear as day what she told him that night, the last full sentence he heard her speak before falling into a pit of sadness.

“What if they split us up too? You’re my only happiness Haru.” She may only have been nine, but her words weren’t one of a kid. 

The court decided that each parent would get a child in their full custody, which made Haruto’s blood boil. He was _angry_ ; angry at his parents for not working it out, effectively putting their own wants and needs above Haruto’s and Niko’s. He resented them both, so when asked which one he’d rather stay with, he stayed silent. He wanted to take his sister’s hand and run away; run away to somewhere better, somewhere they could be together. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew they wouldn’t get far before the adults would find him (AKA child protective services and the police) would find them, so silence was the best option at the time. Maybe if he closed his eyes and waited, he would wake up from his never ending nightmare.

But alas, he never woke up. Because the young boy was now sixteen, and during these six years him and his mother had moved from Japan to South Korea in an attempt to start a new life. He hasn’t heard from his father or sister in that time, his mother somehow blackmailing his father to stay away; to "not corrupt her only child.” His resentment for his mother only grew as she started drinking and coming home late, quitting her well paying job to join god knows where instead. He hated her for throwing her life away; hated her for putting herself above him.

Now the once happy and gifted kid was broken. “Broken” and “sad” being the only things he heard others describe him as. He assumed outsiders were too scared to label a kid as anything more serious. _How stupid._

He never tried much to fit in, never cared much for the Korean language or the Koreans around him, because caring and trying won’t make him one of them. Even if he _did_ try, a constant reminder of his Japanese identity lies in his accent and appearance, something so superficial but impossible for him to change. 

Deep down, there was a sense of guilt too. Every time he learned a new thing about the Korean culture or lifestyle, a part of his Japanese-self faded away; a memory of Japan being replaced with a Korean one. Figuratively anyways. 

Two years prior was when things started to get progressively worse for Haruto; the year when he stopped caring and his grades started flunking. He was never the most academically gifted kid; when trying his best he would just reach your average student, and starting over in a foreign language was only going to go downhill for him at some point. 

This was also the year his father got remarried. How does he know this? His father may not have been able to contact him, but that didn’t stop him from trying to find him himself. After searching around, he found his father’s Instagram page where he posted pictures of him with his new family. A family of five; Niko, his father, presumably his new wife and her two teenage boys. He often found himself scrolling through the account while blinking away tears, looking at pictures of his younger sister with her new brothers; holding a golden retriever, out sailing, at the mall and more. Niko found herself a whole new family; a family that didn’t didn’t include Haruto. 

* * *

Sick of his angry and drunken mother complaining about the failure he turned into, he spent a lot of time wandering at night. One day he went off his usual trail, being tired of walking in public places, tired of the constant judgmental eyes, so he decided to walk outside his community into an excluded part of the town.

There he found a wall of bushes with a hidden opening inside. “Strange” he thought, feeling compelled to check it out. 

When walking in he saw a mini grassy field with a tree house located next to a lake, and a singular bench conveniently placed in front. It was mysteriously well hidden, but by the looks of it nothing special. He assumed the place was long abandoned by the worn out state of the bench and tree house, which made it a perfect hide away for the young boy. 

The tree house was locked, so most nights he settled for sitting on the bench and listening to music till the night was at its darkest, and his mother was most likely home and passed out. 

After two weeks of hiding by the lake, he met the back of a blond boy sitting on his usual spot. Shocked, he froze while wondering whenever to run back into town or not. 

“Are you just gonna stand there the rest of the night?” The boy turned around, a sneaky smile making its way to his face, “because that’ll make it one uncomfortable and boring night for us both.” Haruto didn't like the attitude of the other boy, but he thought to humor him anyways. His plan of putting headphones in and ignoring the other for the rest of the night was ruined when the blondie introduced himself.

“I’m Jeongwoo, Park Jeongwoo! What’s your name?” Haruto sighed, deciding to play nice. 

“I'm Haruto, Watanabe Haruto” he mocks the other’s introduction. 

Okay, maybe not completely nice.

“Hm... Haruto” the stranger takes a moment to think, “you’re not Korean, are you?” 

“Born and raised in Japan."

“That’s so cool! I’m Korean.”

“No shit, Sherlock” he wanted to reply, but instead he nodded and offered the kid one of his Airpods; his gut told him to. For whatever reason, he couldn’t get himself to be mean to the blond boy.

* * *

Now in the present, the two boys sit in their usual spots eating marshmallows in silence. Over the past two years Jeongwoo and Haruto have become extremely close, both feeling a sense of unspoken trust and comfort with the other. 

Sometimes they sit in silence for hours; Haruto daydreaming while Jeongwoo does his homework, but unlike most prolonged silences it neither feels awkward nor uncomfortable. If Haruto had to put it into words, he felt _safe_ in those times, like nothing could ever touch or hurt him when he was with Jeongwoo. Nothing other than his own mind.

Other days they stay up for hours as they talk about anything and everything, from their dreams to their mutual hatred for billionaires like Jeff Bezos; nothing was out of reach for the two of them.

* * *

Jeongwoo would tell Haruto of his goal to become a psychologist, but when he would ask why, the blondie would change the subject. _Jeongwoo was strange._

Their interactions usually consisted of the blondie complaining about his workload while Haruto zoned out, but lately Haruto had found the courage to open up to Jeongwoo, the other listening attentively and wholeheartedly. Jeongwoo was a great listener, dropping anything to let the Japanese rant and pour out all his pain. He always knew the other had gone through a lot, everyone in town did, but he never knew to what extent. 

The first time Jeongwoo saw Haruto cry was exactly a month ago; seemingly any other day to him. But not to Haruto. Because that day was his sister's 15th birthday.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jeongwoo was slightly delayed by his overly clingy parents that day, so unlike usual, he wasn’t the first to reach their hangout spot. 

He quietly sits next to his friend and places a comforting hand on his shoulder, reassuring Ruto that he’s safe with Jeongwoo. 

“Niko turned 15 today,” Haruto desperately tries to control his breathing in order to continue. “I miss her. I miss going to Disneyland dressed up as a princess on her birthdays. She really loved putting me in Disney dresses.” 

He wore the same sad smile every time he reminisces on their past. They were happy memories, so shouldn’t they make him happy? His sister is safe and happy, so why isn’t he? 

“It’s bittersweet” Jeongwoo whispers under his breath, “yeah” Haruto sighed. 

That's one of his favorite qualities of Jeongwoo’s; Jeongwoo was understanding. So much so, he sometimes knew what Haruto was thinking without him having to say it. Before they were friends, Haruto didn’t care if anything would happen to him, he didn’t care about his future, he didn’t care to live; but now he knows he has to stay to see his friend succeed, wanting to be there for him when he eventually falls into a slump himself, wholeheartedly cheering him on when he feels gloomy or unmotivated. 

Jeongwoo was Haruto’s anchor, and he liked to imagine that he was Jeongwoo’s too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongwoo saves Haruto in a moment of need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be listing/mentioning a couple of songs throughout this chapter, so I recommend you play them as they come along! and if you so wish to I'd recommend searching up the lyrics at the end <3

_*Flashback, two years prior*_

  
  
  
The day prior was the first time Haruto met Jeongwoo. ~~They talked~~ Jeongwoo talked about essentially nothing for what seemed like an eternity. Strangers coming up to him and striking long conversations is something that would usually annoy Haruto, but somehow he found the recent experience relaxing.

Jeongwoo was quite the opposite of Haruto; Haruto was quiet, reserved and sarcastic, whereas Jeongwoo was an obvious extrovert, someone with strong opinions and a happy attitude; The kind of person you’d assume had a perfectly happy and trauma-less childhood. 

Maybe they could be friends, they do say that opposites attract. 

But that doesn’t matter, because Haruto doesn’t have his contact info, has no idea what school he goes to or where he lives, the only thing he knows about the stranger is his name and face. 

Unless actively tracking him down, he’d never see him again, and maybe that’s for the best. Haruto has been flying solo for four years, why let a blond kid with a country accent change that now? 

* * *

Haruto walked his usual trail to the hidden lake with his head down in low spirits. He knew that that day, much like any other day, he’ll have to spend his night alone. _But why would that bother him? Why was that day any different?_

Earlier that day he saw two young boys leaping home as they held hands and laughed, coronating their jumps in order to land at the same time and keep the pace, reminding him of the side-steps and lunges they’d do in soccer practise back at home in Japan. 

But soccer doesn’t just exist in Japan, and maybe he didn’t miss his home itself as much as he thought. He wasn’t always happy in Japan either, he struggled a lot in his last years as he pushed all his friends away and put up emotional barriers to distance himself, often physically locking himself inside his room in order to be alone. 

He had come to a point in his life where he simply just missed playing with his friends and doing fun activities with the people he loved. Japanese or Korean, he didn’t care anymore, he just missed having someone to love. 

A switch turned inside of him that day, pushing Haruto to finally admit it to himself that he was _simply just lonely_ , and maybe having a friend to keep him company would be nice.

* * *

He sighed as he laid down on the bench, closing his eyes and immediately letting all his bottled feelings go; all the _pain_ , all the _hurt_ , all the _denial_ he had built up over the years go through the medium of tears. 

He thought about all the times he had been wronged, all the important decisions that had been robbed of him and how out of control he had been his entire life. Tears flowed down and stained his cheeks as he quietly sobbed into his palms and choked on the salty tears. His head spun and heart ached, begged and longed for another person's touch,

_For someone to hold him in their arms and tell him that he’ll be okay, that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, even for someone as broken as himself._

Yet he was alone, like he’d always been. 

_“Please make it stop… make the pain end”_ he prays to _whoever_ is above as he laid under the stars.

* * *

He stared at the stars with an empty mind. He cried in agony for a little over an hour until he reached a stage of numbness, the point of which his mind could finally relax. 

Everything was peaceful.

The singing of birds was barely audible over the music from his phone in the background, currently playing ‘everythinggoes’ by RM. 

He didn’t know much about constellations, but he loved to make up stories and pictures from the shapes the stars would form at night. It might have been his mind unconsciously showing him what he wanted to see, but he often saw two bunnies which he’d imagine to be his sister and himself, something he found great comfort in. He liked to believe his sister would feel the same. 

He picked up his phone and looked at the time, _11:18,_ knowing he only had a couple of hours before he’d have to be at home and in bed, but he still dreaded the idea of walking back into _that_ house and going to school the next day, carrying out the same unfulfilling routine daily. 

A thought came into his mind, one that wasn’t uncommon for him but one he would usually fight off. That day he accepted it, because he might have just been wishing for the wrong thing all along; maybe he shouldn't have wished for the light at the end of the tunnel, but just the end instead. 

_“What if there is no light for some people? Would it be better if it all just ended right now? No more pain, no more tears...”_

He closed his eyes and waited for the end

but that’s when it hit him

literally.

“Ow?” He barely gathered the energy to say out loud.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry!” 

The blond boy skipped up to Haruto with energetic bounces, chuckling and finding the situation rather amusing. Haruto could tell the apology wasn’t sincere, which riled him up more than usual.

“That shit hurt, you asshole!” 

“Hey! No name calling” he picked up the football from the ground that he had earlier thrown at Haruto’s head, huffing and puffing as he pushed Haruto’s legs off the bench, forcing him to make space for the stranger. “I said I was sorry…”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” 

“You should be asleep, you know, your school starts at 7:20 on fridays.” 

“How the hell do you know that?” he scoffed and turned his head towards the stranger in suspicion.

“You’re wearing your uniform. My cousin goes to that school too.”

“Oh” Haruto looked down at his sweater, which indeed was a part of his uniform and had the school’s logo, a yellow tiger on the right side of his chest. He quickly changed the subject out of embarrassment. “What about you? Isn’t it a bit late for you to be out-and-about?”

“Not really.” Jeongwoo turned his head towards the other and noticed his tear stains and bloodshot eyes, “Hey, are you okay?” a tone of concern was evident in his voice.

Haruto immediately turned his head and hid his eyes with his hands as he replied, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Wait, I actually came to bring you something!” Jeongwoo starts rustling around his backpack in search of something. “Ah! Here it is!” 

Haruto curiously side-eyed him, using his peripheral vision to secretly look at what the other was holding as Jeongwoo shyly handed Haruto a small grey bunny plushie with a blue bowtie. 

“I don’t know if you’re a bunny-kinda-guy but…”

“Oh, you have no idea” Haruto let his guard down as his entire face brightened, happiness apparent in his small but gratitude-filled smile. “Thank you, I love it!” He stopped for a second before continuing, “But uh, why would you give me this? We don’t know each other that well…”

“I wanna be friends! You seem nice, but maybe a bit lonely? You don’t have to worry about that anymore, Mr Bowtie will take great care of you! Plus he’d never leave you alone, he’s been my friend since I was a toddler so you gotta trust me on this one.”

“Mr Bowtie… I like it” Haruto giggled, bringing the plushie up to his chest as he cuddled with it in the dark. “Jeongwoo, right?”

“Yep!”

“Okay, let’s be friends Jeongwoo.”

* * *

_*Flashforward to the present, two years later*_

They sit in silence at midnight with their bags of snacks, ranging from marshmallows and candy sticks to fizzy drinks, all in the attempt to calm Jeongwoo’s nerves; Jeongwoo had a psychology exam the prior day which he didn’t feel prepared for, and the disappointment and anxiety around it hasn’t left him yet. 

Haruto picks up his phone with one hand as he munches on a ‘Red Vine’ with the other, planning to change the song playing to a more fitting one considering the blue mood.

_“‘Hug’ by Seventeen seems appropriate…”_

He looks over to his distressed friend, noticing the way Jeongwoo frowned his eyebrows as he pursed his lips. He was leaned back, arms and legs crossed on the bench as he looked out towards the lake. Something was different about Jeongwoo that day, his usual goofy and joyful demeanor replaced with a rather gloomy and anxious one. The more Haruto studied Jeongwoo’s behavior, the more concerning it became to him, so he decided it was better to be safe than sorry. 

“Hey, Woo?” 

“Yeah?” 

He doesn't meet Haruto's gaze and it took him a moment to answer, almost as if he was too consumed by his own thoughts to snap out of it. Something that’s rather unusual for Jeongwoo; a boy who likes to live in the moment.

“Is the test really that important?”

“What do you mean?”

“You seem down… so I just assumed…”

“Oh...”

“It’s not a final, so you can always do better next time” Haruto gave Jeongwoo a small but genuine smile. 

Haruto had noticed himself slowly warming up to Jeongwoo; to not just feel _comfortable_ or _content_ in Jeongwoo’s presence, but to actively yearn for his attention, constantly sticking to his side and feeling a sense of sorrow when departed from his friend.

He used to question their friendship when feeling like this,

_“Do I really know Jeongwoo?”_

_“Why would he want to be my friend?”_

_“Am I really contributing anything to our friendship? Why would he stick around?”_

There were too many questions surrounding Jeongwoo; how the boy could speak about his favorite types of doughnut flavors for hours on end, but couldn’t tell Haruto about his hopes and dreams or why certain topics would throw him off. 

So many secrets and things that the other wouldn’t share whereas Haruto had been an open book. Jeongwoo knows about Haruto’s parents divorce, he knows what happened that day in court, he knows every single doubt and insecurity Haruto possesses, but Haruto wouldn't be able to name a single one of Jeongwoo’s. 

But, maybe he had been oversharing; maybe everything poured out since he had been alone for so long but now someone actually _wanted_ to listen, someone actually _cared._

Maybe he needed their conversations to be bright, fun and something to take his mind off all his doubts and worries, and a comfortable space to vent if necessary.

Maybe he just needed the consistency, to have someone to feel attached to, to believe that there’s at least one person that would never leave him. 

He came to the conclusion that Jeongwoo doesn’t _owe_ him anything. He doesn't have to tell Haruto things he doesn’t want to share, and getting mad at him for that wouldn't be fair on his part. Their dynamic may have been slightly one-sided but that was okay for now. He knew he would pay Jeongwoo back one way or the other, it was all just a matter of time. People deal with their struggles differently, and Jeongwoo chooses to present himself as a beacon of light: someone dependable, fun and encouraging, and the day that he feels like sharing his other side with Haruto, he’ll be there to accept him. Whenever that is.

Haruto smiles as he ruffles the other’s hair, drawing circles on the top of his head in an attempt to cheer him up, but catching him off guard instead.

“You know, I think it’s getting late-” Jeongwoo panicked and jumped up from the bench, scrambling around to find his things but accidentally picking up Haruto’s phone instead. “Gotta go, uh, feed my cat-”

Haruto instinctively grabs the wrist of the hand Jeongwoo holds his phone in, pulling him back to the bench and effectively making them sit face-to-face. 

“Isn’t that mine?” Haruto says, slightly confused.

“Oh?” He replies, his mind disorganised and more focused on the boy in front of him rather than his words. He looks down when the other’s words finally register in his brain, noticing the phone he holds in his hand; a phone that isn't his. 

“Oh? Oh! I’m sorry! I uh-” 

Haruto giggles at Jeongwoo’s flushed face, taking the phone out of Jeongwoo’s hand and placing his hand where the phone once was, intertwining their fingers. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Jeongwoo sighed, feeling like a brick had just been lifted off his chest. “But… psychology must mean a lot to you?”

“I wanna be a psychologist one day, you know that.”

“Yeah, but what I don’t know is why…” 

Jeongwoo smiles, pressing gently on Haruto’s hand as he turns his head to stare out at the lake.

“I’ll tell you one day, I promise. Stay with me until then?”

“You couldn’t get rid of me even if you tried.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feedback through comments and/or Kudos would be highly appreciated ♡


End file.
